Prince George, B.C. – Geoffrey Cowper, QC has delivered his second interim report to Justice Minister and Attorney General Shirley Bond, moving towards the final stage of his comprehensive review of B.C.’s justice system.

In his update, Cowper indicates that he has been focused on obtaining concrete suggestions for reform and has had extensive discussions around both proposals for reform and priorities for implementation. The report is available on his website – www.bcjusticereform.ca.

Since being appointed chair of the justice reform initiative in February, Cowper has conducted in-person and telephone consultation sessions throughout the province and received submissions  from more than 100 institutional stakeholders and members of the public. He has also reviewed justice reform strategies, reports and initiatives from other jurisdictions, such as Alberta, Manitoba, Australia and the United Kingdom, to aid him in his analysis of B.C.’s justice system.

Cowper has been asked by the B.C. government to identify barriers to timely criminal justice and measures to improve the system’s outcomes. Cowper will deliver his final report to government before the end of July 2012. To ensure that his report is as comprehensive and inclusive as possible, Cowper will continue to receive public and stakeholder submissions until June 30, 2012. British Columbians are invited to share their ideas about justice reform and participate in the recently launched online survey on Cowper’s website, as well as to sign up to receive notifications when there are new blog entries or reports posted.